Treat your Tricky Toddlers with these Halloween Activities

Boo-tiful Bananas, Creepy Crackers and Goopy Ghosts! These spooky snacks and this freakishly fun craft are sure to make your little monsters smile.

Depending on the age of your child, this healthy treat also provides a great fine motor activity. The banana and clementine peeling, and celery stalk slicing are the most labor intensive step of the first picture. Then, just help your child insert mini and regular chocolate chips for the banana ghost's eyes, and poke the celery piece into the clementine as the stem---voila!

www.myeasyrecipes.net

I like these salty spiders because you can tailor them to your kids' tastebuds! For a healthier spin, try whole wheat Ritz crackers. Spread whatever your child likes to eat between the two crackers: peanut butter, nutella, cream cheese, fluff, hummus, jelly---you name it! Before putting the top cracker over the spread, have your helper, put the four pretzel stick legs on each side. Then add a dolop more of your spread for each 'eye' and the kids can add raisins, craisins, blueberries or chocolate chips for the eye balls! 

www.roommomspot.com

Those snacks were pretty clean and simple but now things are going to get messy! I LOOOVE this Goopy Ghost project because it qualifies as a craft and a sensory activity; it is process and product! Plus, chances are you have shaving cream and white glue at home, maybe even googly eyes?? Spread out some newspaper and let your kids dig in...

notimeforflashcards.com

Here is what you need: 

• paper bag/heavy construction paper/flattened cardboard box
• 3/4 cup of shaving cream with 1/4 cup of white glue
• googly eyes
• black paper
• scissors
• large Pyrex mixing bowl or Rubbermaid basin

Step 1: Make an outline of a ghost on the heavy paper and set it aside (do not cut it out yet)

Step 2: Mix shaving cream and glue and put it on top of the paper

Step 3: Let your child explore the goopy mixture 

Step 4: During exploration, ask your artist what kind of expression his ghost should be making: happy, sad, surprised etc.) then cut out that corresponding shape from the black paper

Step 5: Add the googly eyes and mouth right on top!

Step 6: Allow to dry (this may take a while) and finally cut out the ghost shape

Have fun and Happy Halloween!

About the author:

Liza d'Hemecourt lives in Needham with her husband and her two toddlers. She went to Boston College for theater and elementary education. Before starting a family, Liza taught kindergarten and first grade.